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Stuff Saturday: Trek Remedy 29

I originally started this “Stuff Saturday” deal because I like talking about bikes. The little bits are cool but I really geek out on the new bikes that are unveiled every season. Sometimes at Interbike I won’t even drink for a few hours just so I can see more cool stuff. OK, that’s a lie, but I do really like checking out some new bikes.

Trek held a press camp a few weeks ago, just up the road in Sedona, to show off its new Fuel and Remedy models. I was out of town and couldn’t make it, so I arranged for a little private demo of my own. Well, that is kind of a lie too. We never get invited to press camps. We really aren’t house broken enough for those things. In reality, I just whined and complained enough to my local rep that he let me ride his bike for a week. Either way, I got to ride a cool new 2014 bike and now I get to tell you about it.

I have owned the 26 inch wheel version of the Remedy for a while and I must admit that I am a fan. It’s getting on in years now and I was curious to see what big wheels and some updated suspension would do to this already great riding trail bike.

This part works awesome

It should also be noted that I have issues with 29ers. Not that I don’t like the idea of big wheels, I will ride anything. It’s just that I have a 29 inch inseam and I am constantly stuck in the no-man’s land between a small and a medium on every full suspension 29er I ride. That being said, this Medium frame fit me pretty well. Standover was good and a little shorter stem would get me really comfortable. This bike comes spec’d out with a full XT group and Fox suspension bits. I’m a sucker for the new XT stuff, it just works. It also came with some new Bontrager tires that I felt were completely out of place. Something with 5.5 inches of travel and labeling itself an “all mountain” bike should really have a little bit more meat on the treads. I realize that they need to keep the stock weight down ( ~29lbs) but seriously, these things cornered like I was riding on greased ball bearings.

This part is not awesome

I wanted to test this big girl on out on some rugged yet unfamiliar terrain. So I threw it in the truck and headed to Tucson for a ride with some friends on Mt. Lemmon. I did a few other rides in my area, but I felt that La Milagrosa trail would really shake down this bike on a bunch of different terrain..

from @dirty_biker on Instagram

There is a big climb at the start and when I wasn’t hiking, the Remedy climbed really well. It’s no speed demon, but it will get you to the top efficiently and in comfort. Dropping in on the downhill, I was pretty hard pressed to tell it was a 29er when rolling fast and straight. The wheel base felt normal to me and the 140mm of suspension soaked up all the hits. I think the only place this bike didn’t perform well was when the trail turned to really big hits at slow speeds. There is nothing agile about this bike. If I had a little more time on this bike I would adopt more of a “go fast and smash” approach to those situations.

Me, cornering the Remedy poorlyPhoto: http://pedalpics.blogspot.com/

I still feel that long travel 29er is a bit goofy, but it sure is fun. I don’t know if I would ever buy this bike, but I would definitely ride it again and again if given the chance. If you have the opportunity to throw a leg over one of these bikes at a demo or your local shop, I would encourage you to do so. It will give you plenty to talk about over post ride beers.

*Our friends over at Pinkbike were in Sedona for the camp and they did a little more legit coverage HERE.

14 thoughts on “Stuff Saturday: Trek Remedy 29”

Word. I too am impressed with the XT on my 2012 bike. The 29er is a monstrous beast size-wise. I like how my 26″ buddies tell me to “steer more” on the steep switchbacks I struggle with. Gee thanks, guys! I too have had nothing but trouble with lightweight, tubeless 29″ tars. Just today I’m trying some wet/dry roof patch to see if I can get my rear tar to hold more than 10 psi. Awesome ride when the pressure is up, but a glass jaw, it seems like.

Dirty: Don’t worry about that 29 inch inseam – just makes those big balls of yours look even bigger. I was driving home from San Diego today and was thinking, shit, didn’t Dirty ride his f’ing bike to SD? If you happen to be enjoying a cold one right now, I present you with one of the greatest pieces of inspirational guitar work (from Mark Knofler) you will ever hear and one of the greatest examples of huge balls you’ll ever see…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EyoXb4DtHAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPR2U8yI0ek
and finally a quote from another great one who understood what committment meant:
My brother Roy and I were sitting on the floor of the family room playing with my dad’s 12-gauge shotgun. Roy was about six. I was four and a half. Roy found some shells, loaded them into the gun, and accidentally fired. Our two-year-old sister, Doris Ann, was killed. There’s nothing that you can do about it except learn. Maybe that helped me in war. I’m a fatalist, if that’s what you call it. The phrase that I use is “If you can’t do anything about it, forget it.” – Brigardier General Chuck Yeager

I’ll admit 29er full suspension ride a lot better than they did even just a few years ago. Direct mount front der., mini links, and tapered steerers have really shrunk what used to be huge wheelbase dumptrucks.

They are still heavy as fuck and don’t get airborne worth shit but man do they rail the XC trails!

Santa cruz has 20 mountain bikes in their line up now and all are selling like crazy. The big guys can’t keep up with that when they have road, recreation, etc lines as well. Wierd times right now, the bike industry is goofy.

Thumbing through Bicycling magazine, that inestimable font of crass commercialization, I see that they reviewed this year’s crop of mountain bikes… The only hardtails they even reviewed were in the “value” category.

I don’t believe people really need $9000 dual-squish 29ers. Get it while you can boys, that bubble is gonna pop.

Blame SRAM for starters, the progenitors of the original $400+ cassette (a consumable drivetrain item that costs more than a decent entry level whole BIKE? WTF?). Add a $300+ derailleur, and a crop of doctors and lawyers who used to just try and out Serotta each other on the road but found that they needed to one up their pals even yet still more, and yeah, that bubble needs popping….

Really had a tough time choking down the told you so’s when a guy we rode with ripped off his XO rear derailleur on the first ride, carbon explosion it was.

Don’t get me wrong, I like nice stuff, XT and XTR are what I lean towards, but when you can get an XTR rd for generally less than 2 bills? I’m just not seeing how SRAM XX is worth the 30% more. I guess simply because “it’s not Shimano” works for those who buy them?